Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he will initiate action against the parents of AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury after a photograph allegedly showing them consuming beef circulated on social media. The comment came as Kunki Chowdhury, 27, who is contesting her first election from the Guwahati Central Assembly constituency, denied the allegation and called it “fake news” being spread by Sarma.
“After the election, I will take action against her parents as per the Cattle Prevention Act. I will accept everything, but not eating beef,” Sarma told reporters when asked about the controversy. He made related remarks earlier on April 2, saying Kunki’s mother, academician Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, had shared posts about beef consumption, made offensive remarks about certain communities and expressed support for Pakistan, which he said hurt the sentiments of “Sanatani” people.
While Sarma framed the issue as one of cultural and religious sensitivity, legal context is more limited: consumption of beef is not a blanket crime in Assam, but the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021 prohibits cattle slaughter and the sale of beef in areas where Hindus, Jains and Sikhs are in majority and within a five-kilometre radius of a temple or a satra (a Vaishnavite monastery).
Kunki Chowdhury has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected the Chief Minister’s claims. Sarma sought to use the controversy politically, asking voters, “Will you vote for people eating beef? Which ‘Satradhikar’ will vote for her?” and suggesting that if Chowdhury disowned her parents over the issue he would stand with her.
The dispute adds a communal and legal dimension to the campaign in Guwahati Central, where questions of personal conduct, family ties and religious sentiment have become entangled with electoral strategy. — PTI
Original Source: https://www.thehindu.com/elections/state-assembly-elections-west-bengal-assam-kerala-puducherry-tamil-nadu-live-updates/article70825775.ece
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-04-06 03:26:00
